Kid Cudi Leaves Lady Gaga’s ‘Monster’ Tour

Cleveland rapper's departure may be related to punching a fan at a Vancouver, BC, show.

Lady Gaga and hip-hop just don’t mix. First, Kanye West backed out of their “Fame Kills” tour in the wake of Swift-gate, and now opening act Kid Cudi has departed Gaga’s “Monster Ball” outing just seven shows into the 21-stop trek. And, in one way or another, it seems both departures are due to inflated egos.

Cudi issued a statement to MTV, claiming his exit is to “balance his schedule surrounding the recording of his next album and acting commitments.” But online rumors — and video! — suggest otherwise.

Last weekend at the tour’s Vancouver, BC, stop, Cudi dropped his mic, jumped into the crowd, and punched a fan. The scuffle started when a concertgoer threw a wallet onstage, which Cudi threw back into the crowd. When Michael Sharpe caught the wallet, which wasn’t his, and threw it back onstage, Cudi got so mad he did the only logical thing: he socked Sharpe in the eye. Ouch. Watch video of the scuffle below.

TMZ caught up with bruised Sharpe, who said: “I’m not upset, I’m not going to be that person. I just want to meet him and be like ‘I’m the guy you punched.’ I’m not going to press charges.”

So, SPIN readers, did Cudi gracefully exit a giant tour with pop’s biggest star to “balance” his schedule? Or… was he knocked out for socking a fan? Tell us what you think in the comment section.